Story: Red

Author: The Shonen-Ai and Yaoi Goddess

Pairing: Akuroku

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. If I owned, there would be more boyxboy action.

Warning: Shonen-ai, OOCness... No real

Roxas Strife would always attest to the fact that he HATED the color red. Axel. He also had a terrible fear of fire. Axel. These are just a few of the reasons that he HATES-- Axel-- HATED Axel Valentine. He was a physcopath. He was a pyromaniac. And, he had red hair.

Did I mention that Roxas hated the color red? Anyway, our story begin one cold, winter morning, on the busride to school...

"Achoo!"

Roxas let out his third sneeze for that morning. His older brother, Demyx, broke away from his boyfriend, Zexion Leonhart, and said, with a voice FULL of concern: "Oi, shrimp. Go home before you pass on your germs."

Roxas opened his mouth for a scathing remark, when he realized that it would be completely and utterly pointless, as Demyx had glued his and Zexion's lips together again, and there was no seperating them after that happened. With a soft groan, the young blonde slammed his head against the back of his seat. He was BORED. His best friend Sora, whom he'd met and become friends with during the three months that Demyx and Leon had been together, before deciding that they were better off as friends, was sitting with HIS boyfriend, Riku Jenova. His older brother Cloud was sitting with his friend Zach Fair and his boyfriend(Demyx's ex-boyfriend) Squall "Leon" Leonhart. His sister Larxene was sitting with her boyfriend, the dementedly pink Marluxia Flores. Tidus, one of his other brother, was sitting with his girlfriend Yuna Highwind. Gippal AlBed and Riku Highwind, both friends of his, were having a match on their Gameboys. So, he was all alone.. And then, he felt the seat next to him sink. He blinked, and turned his head, thinking it was one of his friends...'

Only to groan as he saw flashes of red and green. Great. Just great... "Achoo!"

He turned his head away from Axel Valentine, who yelped as he was smacked by his older brother, Reno. His little sister Kairi, who was friends with Sora and Riku, sat in front of the boyfriends, and started talking with them. Namine, Kairi's best friend, threw Roxas a sympathetic glance, and took her seat next to Kairi. Hayner, Pence, and Olette all looked up from their conversations a few seats away to see a murderous Roxas. They didn't know whether to laugh or run. Roxas decided that it wasn't worth the effort to talk or look at Axel, and turned his head out the window. But, naturally, Axel didn't ignore him, as he'd been trying to be friends with the blonde for a long time.

"You know, Roxas... You can't ignore me. I am singularily unignorable." Roxas could practically hear his chest puffing out. So, he decided to bring that ego down a notch.

"I don't know... I'm pretty good at ignoring things that hold no interest to me."

"So, you have some interest in me, then? Because you didn't ignore me."

Cue Roxas ignoring him. In fact, after another sneeze, he fell asleep. He was woken up by Larxene shrieking in his ear, "Wakey wakey Roxie!"

"Fuck off..."

He heard a satisfying smack when his hand lashed out, and he heard a yelp... But it wasn't Larxene's... Oh yeah! Axel was sitting next to him. Oh well. He opened his sea-blue eyes, and slowly stood up, stretching. Naturally, he was oblivious to the flushes being directed his way as his shirt rode up. After shoving the red-head none-to-gracefully out of the seat, Roxas left the bus... Only to be carted off by his mother, who had seen his empty bed and instantly known that he was detirmined to keep his spotless record. He groaned.

"Mom! I'm not si- Si- ACHOO!" And then it was pointless to deny being sick, because she raised an eyebrow, and scoffed. Yep... He was screwed. Oh well. Whatever. That said, he tried to make a mad dash for it, but it was proving to be a little bit difficult.

She shoved him into the car, and called, over her shoulder, "Cloud, Larxene, Demyx, Tidus! Have a nice day at school, darlings!"

Roxas stuck his tongue out at his older siblings faces-- being the youngest always had it's pros and cons. Oh well. With any luck, he would be better by tomorrow...

An hour after school let out, his siblings arrived home. Of course, Roxas was blissfully unaware of this, as he was fast asleep. The four crowded in front of his door, and peered in at their brother.

"So... When do you think he's going to realize that he is in love with Axel?"

"Please, Dem. He's far too hardheaded to realize that on his own."

"Larxene's right.. The only question.. Is how to get him to realize it."

At Cloud's words, there was a pause. And then, Tidus grinned maniacally. "I've got an idea..."

The next day, Axel didn't sit next to him on the bus. Roxas was glad. But, the red-head didn't sit anywhere near him in any of his classes. That was a good thing.. But a little strange, as he was always trying to get his attention... Roxas found his attention drawn to Axel many times during the day. And when he saw Axel and Hayner, one of Roxas' BEST friends, kissing in the locker room after school, alone in the locker room, he didn't like the way his heart started to hurt REALLY badly. But, to the surprise of his watching audience, who were hidden in various places in the locker room, he didn't lash out. He did soemthing he never did: He muttered a quick apology, and ran. Roxas never ran away. And it was at that moment that the Strife family realized they may have pushed their little brother a little too far. It was time to initiate Plan B.

Roxas was sitting in his room when he heard the tapping at his window. Thinking it was Hayner, he raised his eyes... And they collided with a pair of beautiful green ones, and he felt his stomache drop. What on earth was Axel doing here. Curiousity overcame him, and he slowly pushed himself off his bed. He slowly walked over to the balcony window, and he opened it. "What in the hell are you doing here, Valentine?"

Axel surveyed him curiously. "You know, if you'd just admitted to liking me, or given any indication before today, I wouldn't have gone through with your siblings plan, you know. I would have come after you and demanded that you admit it to me face-to-face.. Which is why I'm here now. So..."

Roxas blinked at him, and then.. His eyes narrowed.. He shoved Axel out of his window, and followed, gauging the distance. And then, he gave a shove... And knocked Axel off the second story balcany. Then, he walked to the edge, and leaned agaisnt it as he looked down at the red head sitting on the branches just below the balcony. "I like you. A lot." And then, he shut the door, ignoring the jubliant yells from Axel.

A small smile twitched on his lips, and he waited... "OH MY GOD THEY'RE ALIVE!!"

Who said he'd make it easy on the red-head? He sure as hell didn't. And he didn't intend on doing so, either. But, then again... Maybe the color red wasn't that bad.